Old video from Tamil Nadu falsely viral as Muslims vandalised Ambedkar’s statue in Kerala

Recently, a video of an Ambedkar statue being desecrated has been circulating widely on social media platforms. It is being claimed that Muslims in Kerala were responsible for damaging the statue of Bhimrao Ambedkar with their swords. Users sharing the clip are asking, “Where are those people who shout the slogans of ‘Jai Bhim’ and ‘Jai Meem’?” (Archive link)

*केरल में मुसलमानों द्वारा खुलेआम तलवार लेकर डॉ भीमराव अंबेडकर की प्रतिमा को खंडित किया गया* 😡
*जय भीम और जय मीम का नारा लगाने वाले इस समय कहाँ है और खामोश क्यों हैं?*

⬇️⬇️ @Aimim_Sai_Kumar @Dr_Uditraj pic.twitter.com/Cvol0tUHy4

— Jagat Darak HINDU🇮🇳 (@jagat_darak) August 13, 2021

Several users on Facebook also posted the link with the same claim. (1, 2, 3, 4)

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Fact-check

A reverse image search of a still from the video led us to a few news reports from August 2019. They reveal that the video is originally from Tamil Nadu where a statue of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar was vandalized after a clash between two groups. A video report by the Free Press Journal dated August 26, 2019, contains some scenes from the viral video.

According to reports, the clash was between two caste groups.

Twenty-eight people have been arrested after clashes broke out between two caste groups in Vedaranyam town in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu on Sunday and a statue of BR Ambedkar was vandalised. The statue has now been replaced by a new bronze one.https://t.co/qQd573g59W

— Express Chennai (@ie_chennai) August 26, 2019

Thus, a video showing the aftermath of a caste-related clash that took place in Tamil Nadu two years ago was falsely shared as recent while targeting the Muslim community of Kerala.